Rituals for Death of a Loved One


Arianna's Ritual For Parting With a Loved One

Need:

candles for the God and Goddess
blue candle
A Picture of the Loved One
A Gift of your choosing to be buried afterwards
Anything that helps you remember this person to decorate the altar

Ritual:

Arrange altar and circle with above items inside the circle. Light incense and candles except blue candle. Cast your circle. Call the Quarters (elemental spirits).

Call Upon the God:

Say- Now do I call You to this circle of light, Great God. I call You as Lord of the Harvest, Lord of Death, Holder of the Keys, Lord of the Underworld; and I call you as the Comforter and Consoler; the Compassionate One Who leads us all to the Cauldron from which we are reborn. Give welcome now to "your loved one", who comes to join You in the Summerland.

Call Upon the Goddess:

Say- I call upon the Lady as Crone, She Who carries "your loved one" into the love light of the Summerland. That "your loved one" may share with the Lord and Lady as (she/he) reflects upon what they have learned in this life and look forward to the next one to be reborn by the Mother Goddess, Lady of rebirth. May She bestow the wonder of new life again upon "your loved one" when the wheel has turned.

Say- I am here to celebrate the life of "your loved one" and to say farewell until we meet in the Summerland or in another life.

Light the blue candle and say- I light this candle in rememberance of "your loved one" to shine the way to the Summerland. May their light always shine within me.

Now sit and remember the things that you loved about them. Hold the picture in your hands and feel them with you. Feel the inner person that they were and how much they meant to you. Let yourself feel it all....sorrow....love....joy....... Say anything that you would like to say to them....tell them the things that you wanted to say. Then say goodbye to them in this life and wish them well on their way to the next. Let your tears fall and grieve or them and let them go on their way but hold their light in your heart.

Next, hold the gift/offering in your hands and pour out your love and emotions into the gift for your loved one's journey to the Summerlands. It is your way of showing your love for them and sharing a part of yourself with them as they pass on. After the ritual, bury it in the Earth.

When you feel like you have poured out your heart and have found a little peace within from it, you can give thanks to the Lord and Lady. You may thank and bid farewell to the Quarters and release your circle. You should let the candle burn for the next 2 hrs. before snuffing it out. Bury any remains of the candle and the gift you charged in the Earth. You may want to leave a memorial to that person somewhere in the house with a little blue candle and perhaps the picture that you brought with you into the circle. It is a good way to feel connected to them. Not to call them back but just to remember them and charish them in your heart. Your rite is done.



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